Mango panna cotta with watermelon, pineapple and mint salsa

By: Luke Nguyen
From: The Food of Vietnam
Serves: 4
Photographer: Alan Benson

This dessert showcases some of the amazing produce of the Mekong Delta region: plump mangoes, sweet pineapple, juicy watermelon, fresh mint, coconut and cashews. Jenny Pham, our chef at Red Lantern, incorporated this refreshing dish into our summer menu. It was a winner!

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1	ripe mango, peeled and diced
300ml	thickened cream
220ml	coconut cream
1 1/2 tablespoons	caster sugar
2 teaspoons	powdered gelatine
	unsalted roasted cashews, crushed, to garnish

Watermelon, pineapple and mint salsa

Quantity	Ingredient
100g	watermelon, seeds removed, flesh finely diced
100g	pineapple, peeled, core removed, flesh finely diced
1 tablespoon	icing sugar
2 teaspoons	lemon juice
10	mint leaves, thinly sliced

Method

Put the mango flesh in a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Set aside.
Place the cream, coconut cream and sugar in a small saucepan and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until well combined and heated through.
Pour 2–3 tablespoons hot water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine over. Whisk with a fork to dissolve the gelatine.
Stir the mango purée into the warm cream mixture, then strain through a fine sieve, into a jug. Add the gelatine mixture and stir well to combine.
Pour 185 ml of the panna cotta mixture into four glasses. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 4–6 hours, until set.
Near serving time, combine all the salsa ingredients and mix well.
Serve each panna cotta topped with the salsa and a sprinkling of cashews.